Twinstincts
by DarkElements10
Summary: [LIV & MADDIE] Being a twin, Maddie always seems to know what's bothering Liv; if she's mad, or angry, or if she's in trouble. It was just part of her twinstincts; something that could tear them apart or bring them closer together. [LIVIE. NO SLASH, NO TWINCEST]


**Twinstincts**

**By: Rhuben**

**Summary: [LIV & MADDIE] Being a twin, Maddie always seems to know what's bothering Liv; if she's mad, or angry, or if she's in trouble. It was just part of her twinstincts; something that could tear them apart or bring them closer together. [LIVIE. NO SLASH, NO TWINCEST. SISTER BONDING]**

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"_Maddie, I know you think it's your job to protect me, but you've gotta stop. I mean, you tried to make Ocean my friend, and you tried to protect me from Kylie, and just now you took the rap for me. Just because you were right in every single one of those instances does not mean you know what's best for me_."

Maddie twisted her mouth to the side as Liv's words echoed in her ears.

She had messed up and she knew it.

If it wasn't for her, Liv wouldn't have been searching for a new friend, she wouldn't have pushed Ocean onto her, and she sure as heck wouldn't have tried to hang out with Kylie Kramer. If only she had paid more attention to her. Most importantly, she shouldn't have accused her own sister of shoplifting.

Her twinstincts certainly hadn't worked in that case. But, in a way they had. She knew that if Liv had been thrown in mall jail, word would have somehow gotten out and the news would be plastered all over the internet faster than the news about the video of the cute duck cuddling a kitten. Or, in terms that people in "the biz" would understand, faster than news spreading about Kim Kardashian wanting a divorce after 72 days of marriage. She just couldn't do that to her sister no matter how mad they were at each other at the time.

Being a twin was something Maddie wouldn't trade for the world. Despite being so far apart from each other for years, she and Liv were always close. They could practically read each other's minds. Maddie always knew what Liv was thinking, how she was feeling, and most importantly if something was wrong with her sister. Twinstincts as they would call it.

One day, out of the blue, Liv had called her up saying that she was feeling weird, asking how Maddie was right after Maddie had come down with the flu after working out for too long in the Wisconsin cold. It was amazing how in sync they were without even having to say anything, even that far apart. But, now that they were together, it was just taking a little while to get used to now that they were in close proximity. Liv needed to learn how to not be _the _Liv Rooney, and Maddie wanted to support her by giving her space to do so.

The fact of the matter is, is that Liv was "so lucky" that Maddie was there for her "as always." She couldn't believe those words had even left her mouth. To see the hurt look on Liv's face…she just didn't want to see it again. It was as if she was saying that Liv had no idea how to take care of herself, and in a way, she didn't.

_But, Liv's been living out in California for the past four years_, Liv thought to herself, settling back into her pillows, rolling her basketball around in her hands. She tossed the basketball up into the air, catching it in her hands before tossing it up again. _She's been making friends and everything out in California all by herself_. Liv sighed, holding the ball to her chest. _But, this was different. Everyone in Hollywood wants to be friends with the next big thing._

_Sing it Loud_ was a big thing.

Not that Liv didn't deserve her success. Maddie had never met anyone who was as great a singer, and dancer, and who was as driven as her sister. She just wasn't used to how "normal people" had to do things like making friends. She just wanted to help her sister out. She could just feel that she was lonely…but she couldn't figure out that she was partly to blame. Not until it was too late.

_"What are we watching? Fashion week, music videos?" Liv asked as she hurried down the stairs. _

_She was, as usual, dressed to impress with a nice, crisp white t-shirt with birds on them, a black belt tied around her stomach, black hip hugging pants, and the latest boots. Her hair framed her face, every follicle perfectly aligned._

_Maddie glanced at her out of the corner of her eye before reaching for the remote, turning up the volume on the TV as a blast of a whistle rang out. Liv shuddered, her upper lip curling into a look of disgust. "Ugh, basketball." Maddie rolled her eyes, using her finger to push her glasses up her nose._

_Maddie was dressed comfortably. Her hair pulled back into its usual ponytail, glasses annoyingly slipping down her nose every few minutes, a jersey and sweatpants. Comfort was the way to go with her. It was simple and it wasn't like she was trying to impress anybody…at home anyway. At school, she still dressed comfortably but more…noticeable to try and catch Diggie's eye._

Yes, basketball! _Maddie turned towards her sister. "I'm studying the basketball tape for our rivals, the Ravens," she explained. "They wiped the floor with us last year. But, it was the first game I ever started and I scored seven points."_

She had then proceeded to talk about how she was going to "Pluck those Ravens" and then proceed to shout out her signature, "BAM! What?!" Then her dad had come in and wanted to see her "Rage Face." _It's no wonder Liv felt left out_, Maddie thought to herself with a sigh. She had turned down shopping and the mall just to watch the basketball game. Ok, yes, she did hate shopping and she did hate the mall, but she didn't hate spending time with her sister. Liv was always being dragged to her practices, the least s could've done was gone to the mall with her for an hour or two.

"_I can't just pause-a-rooskey my life to hang out with you 24/seven_." She couldn't believe she had even said that to her sister. Then to proceed and ask what Liv's problem was after dropping that "truth bomb?" She really wasn't listening to her twinstincts then. She was being too selfish. She was too busy wanting to "crush the ravens" and more importantly, "kill the ravens."

She should've known that Liv's twinstincts would've kicked into high gear and her plan would backfire in her face. So, it was really all her fault that she was benched from the game and she felt terrible about it. Liv getting her a pretzel _did _make things a little bit better, though, but not as much as her going to confess everything.

"_Suit up, Maddie; we've got some Ravens to beat_!" Maddie sat up, eyes widening, seconds before her dad, Pete Rooney, burst into the room, a bright smile on his face. "Let's go, Maddie. We've got to _crush_ the Ravens! Now let me see your 'Rage Face'."

"Wait, what?" Maddie asked her jaw dropping. She then asked quietly. "So, Liv actually told you everything?" The excitement on her dad's face quickly changed into a serious look as he moved to sit on the end of her bed, patting her foot.

"Yes, she did," he replied. "I just don't understand why she would get caught up with something like that in the first place." Maddie bowed her head, pressing her lips together. "If you knew the truth, why didn't you tell us?"

"I tried to, dad," Maddie replied. She set the basketball down into her lap and lifted her hands to brush her hair behind her ears. "You see, I'm part of the reason why Liv got all wrapped up in this. I wasn't really paying attention to her because of the Ravens game and…it's my fault as much as hers." She sucked in a deep breath of air and held it, her cheeks puffing out for a moment before he released it in a rush of air. "You and mom just weren't listening. But, it's ok, everything worked out."

"You sure, sweetie?" Pete asked. "Because…I don't want this to get in the way of you _crushing those Ravens_." He clenched his hands into fists and punched the air with them adding a "whoo" in excitement. He patted her foot again before taking the basketball from her hands. "Now, go get changed."

"Sure, dad," Maddie replied with a smile and a nod.

As soon as he left the room, she hurried to change into her basketball uniform and sweats, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She grabbed her spots bag making sure she had extra clothes, a towel, a water bottle, some deodorant—in case Diggie decided to show up and cheer her on—and some sandals. She knew that Liv would get on her case for wearing socks and sandals together, but after a tough game with her hair messed up and being all sweaty, it wasn't _that _big of a deal.

She put her bag over her shoulder and made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, where Liv was sitting at the table with a basket of laundry in front of her. Liv looked up and locked eyes with her, a smile coming to her face. Maddie smiled as well before silently walking over to her sister, wrapping her arms around her in a hug.

"I'm sorry," Maddie said into her sister's ear. "I'm sorry I tried to force Ocean onto you."

"I'm sorry, too," Liv replied, squeezing her back just as tight. She grinned as Maddie took a step back. She then clapped her hands together before tapping Maddie's nose. "Now, go beat those Ravens _and _get more than seven points."

"I'll do my best," Maddie replied, giving an identical grin. She then turned on her heels and hurried out the backdoor and into the car where her parents, and her little brother, Parker, were waiting for her.

The Porcupines went on to win their basketball game with a score of 54-38 and she had even made 21 of those points! Not that she was bragging or everything. It sucked to look up into the fans and not see Liv with her family, cheering her on so as soon as the game was over, she reached for her cell phone, pressing it to her ear. She heard a beeping sound and breathing on the other end. "Liv, guess what?"

"I already know!" Liv squealed. Maddie could hear clapping in the background. "My twinstincts told me!"

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**THE END**

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**A/N: **So, I got the idea of this after watching the episode, _Steal-A-Rooney_. I was thinking of incorporating _Kang-A-Rooney_ into it, but decided against it. Hope you guys liked this.

-Rhuben


End file.
